Hotel Dann Cartagena

“Cartagena Stay”

The hotel staff are extremely friendly and helpful. The staff you interact with are bilingual. The food and bar are excellent. The location is excellent. 20mil will get a taxi anywhere you need to go (a little more for airport). The pool was so much fun and the facilities are extremely clean.

“What a colossal place.”

Hotel Dann Cartagena What a colossal place. This hotel caters to mostly Spanish speaking clientele. However, being from Australia and not speaking Spanish did not deter us. If you make a modicum of effort to speak the language, you will be met with smiles and warmth. The staff are brilliant (more o… more

Hotel Dann Cartagena What a colossal place. This hotel caters to mostly Spanish speaking clientele. However, being from Australia and not speaking Spanish did not deter us. If you make a modicum of effort to speak the language, you will be met with smiles and warmth. The staff are brilliant (more on that later). We spent two weeks here and loved every minute of it, and my Spanish improved exponentially. The hotel sits right on the beach, has a fabulous pool with a waterfall, spa and little kids pool all incorporated into the one large pool. The pool is vacced and the tiles scrubbed each morning and is open till 10 pm. Shaded seating, tables and chairs circle the pool. Oh, and the water is warm. It also has a small gym. Food and drinks are available all day. Try the Limonada de Coco, you won’t regret it. Rooms are spacious, (we were on the 12 floor) with magnificent ocean views (pay the extra, it’s worth it). Windows overlooking the ocean are approx. 10 m wide with 3m high and all glass. Even the view from the toilet is great! Bathroom is small but adequate with a large shower; a magnifying mirror is available (Quelle horreur!). Towels are large and soft. A small fridge and mini bar is also provided. A large TV, lounge chairs and sofa are also included, as is hanging and shelf space and a safe. The local area is replete with multitudinous tiendas (shops) selling everything you could want. Local eateries, bars and restaurants are minutes away. Taxis are cheap and safe, but you must negotiate the price beforehand. Ubers are convenient and safe and you don’t need to carry local currency. An Uber from the hotel to the large shopping mall, by the Walled City (Old Town) 28 minutes away was only 17,430 COP (Colombian Pesos) which translated to $US 4.25. A suggested max tip of 5,000 COP was only $US 1.22. You can’t beat those prices! There is a large breakfast/dining room (6.40am-10pm) Breakfast is complimentary and the omelettes are to die for. Fresh (unsweetened) juice, sweet breads, cereals, etc. are all provided. Dinner prices are extremely reasonable. The beach is a hive of activity, with buskers, colourful umbrellas and chaise lounges (at a price), people hawking everything from hats, sunglasses, fresh coconuts topped with straws, ice, ice cream, aquatic accoutrements (floaties, rings noodles, etc.), and drinks stroll up and down the beach all. All beaches in Colombia are public beaches and this one is not part of the hotel complex, but you have full access to it. Fishermen can be seen laying out dragnets and it seems everyone on the beach lends a hand to haul in the nets. Kids and adults alike, locals and tourists all pitch in. It’s a lot of fun. The water is warm, few waves and very safe. I’ve saved the best for last – the staff. Everyone from the greeting security guards (Jose in particular) and the front desk staff are very pleasant and accommodating. However the dining staffs make this place sing. The desayano (breakfast) staff, especially Yuranis, David, Carmelo and Jair are extremely professional, personable, efficient and tremendously friendly. The evening staff, Jose and Betty is similarly hospitable and go out of their way to make you feel valued. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time here and will return..

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